Art education in the early years :)

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GUERILLA ART

It starts with an idea. Perhaps a big statement you want to make. Good vibes you want to send out. Maybe you’re tired of that blank wall you always pass on your way to the bus stop and want to liven things up. Welcome to the world of guerilla street art, where you are the artist and the world is your canvas.

Guerilla art involves leaving anonymous art in public places for others to view and experience. The purpose could be to send a message or statement, or simply because you want to make a stranger smile, the possibilities are endless! And the best part is, anyone can be a guerilla artist. All you need is an idea and your walking shoes! Keri Smith, a local guerilla street artist, provides a great way to get you started: check it out here!

Anyone who has ever taken a stroll in the streets of Toronto has witnessed such art works as murals or the famous “Garden Car” of Kensington Market. The idea of a community that accepts and fosters creativity is one where young children can grow artistically and promotes the message that art can make a difference in society. One of the most important elements of guerilla art is space. Space is determined by the size of the canvas or material the artist is working with and how the different elements are arranged within that space. For example, murals are painted on lots of positive space and can therefore be filled with many elements including colors, symbols, and designs. Other guerilla art pieces can highlight one object or symbol by surrounding it with negative space. How you decide to use the space within your artwork affects the elements of the piece.

Source: Lauren Kowalczyk

Source: Lauren Kowalczyk

Source: Lauren Kowalczyk

Leaving messages for strangers to read is a great idea for a guerilla art piece. These messages can be meant to inspire them or simply put a smile on their face. An example of a local community art campaign called the Love Letter Project is the act of leaving love poems for strangers to find and read: check it out here. I wanted to inspire others and give them some “food for thought”. I looked up some inspirational quotes from some inspirational people and wrote them on different colored cards.

As I were writing these, even I felt inspired! It’s amazing how words can have such an impact on the way people think and perceive things.

The next step was to leave them somewhere for someone to find! I decided to hide them in books at the library. All kinds of book, children’s novels, magazines, even picture books! The rush I got from hiding them made me feel alive! Imagine, someone else would find this, read it, and take a minute to interpret the words and maybe even change their day!